Air-heater for locomotives.



No. 652,479. Patented lune 26, I900.

H. H. HUF F.

AIR HEATER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

(Application filed Nov. 6, 1599.

(No Model.)

NITED Hra'rns arnnrr rrrcm TO ARTHUR D. CURRAN, OF SAME PLACE,

OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS.

AND SMITH P. BURTON, JR.,

AIR HEATER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,479, dated June 26, 1900. Application filed November 6, 1899. Serial No, 735,901. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY I-I. HUFF, of Boston, (Dorchester,) in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Heaters for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for heating the air supplied to fire-boxes of locomo- [O tive-engines, in which outside air forward of the engine is conducted along conduits which are heated by the waste heat of the engine and delivered in a heated condition to the fire-box. A type of apparatus of this char- :5 acter is shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 631,990, dated August 29, 1899, said patent showing an air-receiving chamher surrounding the smoke-box of the engine and connections between said chamber and the fire-box, the arrangement being such that the air entering said chamber is warmed by the waste heat radiated from the smoke-box and passes from thence to the fire-box over other heated surfaces.

2 5 The present invention has for its object to more fully utilize the waste heat within the smoke-box by passing the air through portions of the smoke-box before it enters the said chamber.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents 3 5 afront end elevation of alocomotive equipped with my improved air-heating apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both figures.

In the drawings, a represents the smokebox of a locomotive,'and b represents an airchamber surrounding the main portion of the smoke-box, said chamber being formed by a jacket or casing outside the smoke-box. A

4 5 supplemental casing Z) forms a conduit which conducts air from the chamber to the fire-box, substantially as shown in the above-mentioned patent. Instead of admitting outside air directly into the chamber 6, as shown in said patent, I provide a series of conduits 10- 5o cated within the smoke-box and arranged to conduct the outside air through portions of the smoke-box and to deliver the air to the forward portion of the chamber 1), thus utilizing more fully than heretofore the waste heat in the smoke-box. Said conduits are preferably substantially U-shaped, each comprising an inner member c,which extends through the front of the smoke-box and rearwardly therefrom through a portion of the smokebox, an outer member 0, disposed between the inner membercand the wall of the smokebox, a return-bend 0 connecting the rear ends of the members 0 c, and a connection (preferably a return-bend) c connecting the forward end of the outer member a with the forward portion of the chamber 1). The front end of the inner member 0 has a bell-mouth 0 which receives the outside air in front of the smoke-box, the air passing backwardly through the inner member 0 and forward through the member 0 and then into the forward portion of the chamber 1). The air is thus heated within the smoke-box, enters the chamber 1) in a heated condition, and is additionallyheated while passing through the chamber 1) and jacket I) to the fire-box. It will be seen that by the said conduits I utilize the waste heat in the smoke-box, their location in the outer portion of the smokebox, where there is an extended space, permitting a large number of conduits to be exposed to the heated products of combustion within the smoke-box.

Myinvention is not limited to the U shape shown and described, but is intended to include a series of conduits of any suitable form located in the smoke-box, receiving air in front of the smoke-box and delivering it to the forward portion of a chamber surround- 9o ing the smoke-box.

I claim* 1. A locomotive-engine having an air-chamber at the exterior of the smoke-box; connections between said air-chamber and the fire box, whereby air is conducted from the chamber to the firebox; and a series of conduits located within the smoke-box and adapted to supply air to said chamber, each conduit being open at one end to the outside air forward of the smoke-box and communicating at its other end with the forward portion of the airchamber.

2. Alocomotive-enginehavinganair-chamber at the exterior of the smoke-box; connections between said air-chamberand the firebox whereby air is conducted from the chamber to the fire-box; and a series of U-shaped air-conduits composed of inner members extending through the front of the smoke-box and backwardly within the latter and having receiving-mouths at their front ends; outer members disposed between the inner members and the wall of the smoke-box; returnbends connecting the rear ends of the inner and outer members; and connections between the forward ends of the outer members and the air-chamber.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY H. HUFF. Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN, Gno. M. CARPENTER. 

